Türkiye, UK hold new round of tourism cooperation meeting

ANKARA

The second Türkiye-the United Kingdom tourism cooperation meeting has taken place in the Turkish capital Ankara.

The delegations discussed recent developments in the tourism sector, future visions, and strengthened collaboration to expand tourism opportunities, the U.K. embassy wrote on X.

With the participation of U.K. Ambassador to Ankara Jill Morris and Deputy Tourism Minister Nadir Alpaslan, the officials exchanged views on strengthened tourism ties.

In her opening remarks, Morris said that last year over 3.8 million British tourists visited Türkiye.

This year the numbers for the first eight months of 2024 are almost 20 percent up on last year’s record numbers, she added.

Türkiye is becoming the holiday destination of choice for many British visitors due to its natural beauty, exquisite cuisine, warm hospitality of the Turkish people and rich cultural experiences, the ambassador said.

Meanwhile, the third U.K.-Türkiye Rail Forum, organized by the U.K. Department for Business and Trade Türkiye Office, was also held in Ankara on Nov. 14.

The event saw the signing of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the rail sector.

The opening speech of the event, which brought together sectoral stakeholders from the U.K. and Türkiye was made by the British Deputy Ambassador to Türkiye, Wendy Wyver.

Wyver stated that the forum demonstrates the railway cooperation between the two countries, as Türkiye has been an essential partner for the U.K. in security, energy, trade, transportation and other fields.

Wyver highlighted that work is underway to cooperate in railway safety, innovation, maintenance, and climate change’s impact on railways.

She noted that the growth potential of Türkiye’s transportation sector is remarkable, as the country’s location in an internationally strategic region contributes to its role in global logistics.

“The U.K. supports construction of 900 kilometers of railway lines through financing across three high-speed electric rail projects in Türkiye, is proud to be supporting major infrastructure development across the country, from Ankara to İzmir, Kayseri to Yerköy and Mersin to Gaziantep,” she said.

Transport Ministry’s Deputy Director Ömrüye Ayan said at the event that the priority is to create a sustainable, safe, effective, and efficient transportation sector.

In addition to Wyver and Ayan, Andrea Pearson, head of International Rail at the UK Department for Transport, as well as railway organization representatives participated in the event.